Garth Rattray | We can decrease road fatalities

Since the implementation of the new traffic regulations, significantly increased fines and ramped-up police surveillance on our roads, I have been paying close attention to the behaviour of motorists. Because I have a dash cam, most of what I see is recorded and I sometimes play back the video just to check if the madness that I saw was real or was it an illusion.

Despite the flurry of traffic tickets being given for all sorts of offences, sad to say that I have not seen any discernible change in how drivers are behaving on the roads. The litany of traffic violations continues unabated. The shockingly dangerous driving has not changed. The total disrespect for other road-users continues. The safety of other road-users is still being ignored.

It might be argued that it is early days yet, and that the new fines will take time to make changes. Perhaps I am a tad bit impatient. Perhaps the 10 traffic fatalities over a weekend in February was just too much for me to stand idly by and, simply watch and gawk from the other end of the stream of macabre videos showing mangled wrecks and human carnage.

No doubt, the authorities are doing their very best to stem the crashes and deaths on our roads. Obviously, their reasoning carries a lot of merit. However, we are living in a different time, and it demands that we strategise innovatively by thinking outside the proverbial box. We desperately need a different approach to regain control of the streets.

VALUES AND ATTITUDES

The madness on our roads is representative of the values and attitudes of our society. Lawlessness, selfishness, carelessness, and disrespect for others abound. The simple, yet totally ignored truth is this, if we control our streets, we will control crime on all levels. If people realise that they are forced to obey the rules of the road, they will come to realise that they are operating in a disciplined and well-controlled society. Knowing that law and order dominate will make it far less likely for criminals to take the chance of committing crimes.

However, the way that things are now … chicanery, corruption, disrespect, selfishness, and lawlessness exist at every level in the Jamaican society. Hence, the proliferation of fraud, minor crimes, major crimes, and the frequent and savage murders. It all comes back to the perception that the government does not run things; badness does. We need to change that mindset by taking back control of the streets. We must break the back of indiscipline and lawlessness in Jamaica.

Some of the new regulations will pay off over time. But I doubt that increased fines will reduce traffic fatalities as expected. Increased traffic fines will act as a deterrent to several road-users, but to the seasoned ‘bad drivers’, they mean very little. I am distressed and embarrassed to point out that several of our law officers use the traffic fines as a steady and lucrative source of income. I know individuals who carry around ‘cop money’ to pay off receptive police if they are stopped, and are about to be ticketed. Unfortunately, every time that a rogue cop seeks or accepts a bribe, the lives of the many honest, decent, hard-working police are devalued because the criminal elements look down on all of them.

NOT EFFICIENT

I have always advocated and will continue to advocate that traffic is mobile and static checkpoints are not the most efficient ways of apprehending the potential killers on our roads. Just recently, I was on the North South [luxury] Highway, when I saw a maniac dangerously tailgating a pickup. Then he attempted to squeeze between the pickup and another vehicle in the adjoining lane. The pickup maintained a steady and safe speed. The idiot finally passed and sped away. We encountered a speed checkpoint not far ahead. The police were stopping a few vehicles that were not going at break-neck speeds or endangering anyone … yet, that dangerous madman was not among them!

We need to combine static surveillance with unmarked police cars driving with the traffic to observe road conditions (including surfaces in need of repair), and other drivers. They would be able to turn on the siren and flashing blue lights when needed. The crazy road-users will be unaware of who is watching them and will be caught in action before they kill others. In short order, the dangerous road hogs won’t know who is about to prosecute them. We might need to recall some retired police officers and reinstate them for special [traffic] duty. We also need police stationed at intervals so that roving officers can radio ahead to stop the law-breakers who are on the move.

We need to deemphasise heavy fines because they give the impression that revenue is the main reason for fining motorists, and road safety takes second place. We need mandatory [night] traffic school for some offences. They would be financed by the attendees and would ensure that the drivers who fall through the cracks are educated. We would also discover which ones are illiterate. There would be a pre-test to assess their existing knowledge, and post-test to ensure that they learn from the short course.

It will take time for our technology to allow for consistent and widespread monitoring of speed and other offences. In the meantime, we must do all that we can to reduce the traffic crashes and fatalities.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.